New Products From Markbass

Markbass unveiled its new products for 2012 at a press conference at the NAMM show in Anaheim, California on January 19th. Included are three new heads and four new effect pedals. Here’s an overview:  Big BangA 500W microhead, 4.7 lbs, with a solid-state preamp and a cutting-edge new design of digital power amp that delivers the warmth of analog;
‹ more ›

Jeff Ament and Mike Lull

In a nondescript industrial park near downtown Seattle, a giant machine is whirring to life. It’s days before Pearl Jam is to launch its PJ20 tour, and there’s lots to be done. Downstairs at the band’s warehouse, techs and assistants scramble amid towering shelves of gear to prepare for rehearsal—one of just a few remaining before the tour—while
‹ more ›

Dog House & Pork Chop: The Doubling Masters Speak, Part 1

EVERY BASSIST HAS A STORY. Doubling bassists tell two stories—how they came to play the slab, and how they learned to play the tree. The slab (the electric bass guitar) is the kissing cousin of the people’s instrument, the electric guitar. The tree (the acoustic double bass) is a huge furniturelike package that underpins classical,
‹ more ›

Roscoe Century Basses

Twentieth Century American philosopher and educator Mortimer Adler once said, “People value things in three ways: as useful, as pleasant, or as intrinsically admirable.” This quote came to mind this past month as I reviewed three basses from North Carolina luthier Keith Roscoe. It’s not often that I get a chance to review three instruments
‹ more ›